Clear Self Tanners Are Here To Save Your Clothes & Sheets

Close your eyes for a moment and try to picture your idea of self tanner. Is it a tinted lotion that smells like burnt toast? A foaming fluid that imprints the Shroud of Turin on your sheets overnight? A brown mist that gradually turns your white bathroom tile to bronze?

What if we told you there were actually self tanners out there that look and feel like water, smell like practically nothing, and won't stain your white cut-offs. No, you're not dreaming — this is actually a reality now in 2018, thanks to a few companies who listened to our complaints and got inventive with their formulas.

The fact is, you don't actually need a tinted formula for the active tanning ingredient (DHA) to work. Most of the added colorants are to adjust the shade of the tan or to provide a guide color for even application. In fact, co-founder of Tan-Luxe, Marc Elrick, tells us that some of these dyes can actually prevent the DHA from penetrating the skin, which shortens your tan's lifespan before it begins.

There aren't a ton of products on the market with this innovation quite yet, but there are a few gems we've tried and loved. Click ahead to check out nine dye-free products necessary for all the self-tanning skeptics and devotees out there.